Colesville

History

The first land was purchased in Colesville from the Lords Baltimore in 1714, when Archibald Edmonston patented "Easy Purchase", a tract that extended from Meadowood south to near present-day Route 29. In 1715, "Easy Purchase" was bought by James Beall Sr., who that year also patented "Drumeldry", a tract from the Northwest Branch across Notley Road to Shannon Drive. In 1718, his nephew William Beall patented "Wolf's Den", a tract that straddled today's Bonifant Road and ran from Notley Road to Pebblestone Drive, and then southwest across the Northwest Branch. However, none of these early landowners actually resided in Colesville. Robert Lazenby, thought to be the son of Henry Lazenby, High Sheriff of Anne Arundel County, purchased of the southern part of "Wolf's Den" from William Beall in 1723, and became the first resident farmer in Colesville. In 1747, James Odell, grandson of James Beall Sr., was deeded of a tract known as "Beal Christie" from his parents, and took to farming it. It was located east of today's New Hampshire Avenue near where it crosses Randolph Road. In the 1790s, Peter Kemp built a saw and grist mill on Paint Branch where it is crossed by today's Randolph Road. The mill was rebuilt twice, and what is seen today in Valley Mill Park is the 1879 mill built by Franklin Pilling, which ceased to operate by 1930. The earliest recorded use of the "Colesville" name was on January 25, 1806, when the General Assembly of Maryland changed the place of holding elections of the Fourth Election District of Montgomery County to "Edward Berry's, commonly called Coale's-Ville". It is unknown where this name came from, but it may have come from the maiden name of Elizabeth (Coale) Snowden, wife of Richard Snowden who was the owner of "Snowden's Manor" in…

Geography

As an unincorporated area, Colesville's boundaries are not officially defined. Many residents consider the town to be one of the many neighborhoods of Silver Spring. Colesville is recognized by USPS as an acceptable city name in two northeastern Montgomery County ZIP codes, with Silver Spring being the preferred city name. It is also recognized by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place, and by the United States Geological Survey as a populated place. According to the United States Census Bureau, the place has a total area of , all land. Colesville's generally accepted boundaries extend between the Northwest and Paint Branches of the Anacostia River. Its northern and southern boundaries are not as well-defined, but are usually assumed to run from Springbrook High School in the south to Cloverly in the north.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Montgomery Blair High
  High · Silver Spring · 3,204 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Walter Johnson High
  High · Bethesda · 2,942 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Wheaton High
  High · Silver Spring · 2,599 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Richard Montgomery High
  High · Rockville · 2,390 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Bethesda-Chevy Chase High
  High · Bethesda · 2,335 students · 18:1 ratio
• Winston Churchill High
  High · Potomac · 2,234 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Paint Branch High
  High · Burtonsville · 2,135 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Walt Whitman High
  High · Bethesda · 2,018 students · 17.4:1 ratio